The present invention relates to a disc memory device of the so-called "Juke Box" type for selectively deriving a cartridge stored in a stocker by an inserting and retrieving means and inserting the derived cartridge into selected one of recording and reproducing devices, or vice versa.
FIG. 17 is a schematic perspective view of a conventional disc memory device such as shown in Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 170157/1986, FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a main portion of an inserting and retrieving mechanism thereof and FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a carriage for moving the inserting and retrieving mechanism.
In FIG. 17, a reference numeral 1 depicts cartridges each of which houses a disc which is an information recording medium, the respective cartridges 1 being put aligned laterally on shelves of a stocker 2. Recording and reproducing devices 3 are adapted to read and write informations on the discs in the cartridges 1. An inserting and retrieving mechanism 4 includes a base member 5 and a mechanism for inserting and/or retrieving the cartridge 1 with respect to the stocker 2 and the recording and reproducing device 3. The latter mechanism is mounted rotatably by a rotary mechanism provided on a vertically movable carriage 6. A pair of parallel vertical rails 7 each being a rod having a circular cross section support sliding members 8 fixedly mounted on the carriage 6 to guide the carriage 6 vertically. Toothed belts 9 are associated with the carriage 6 and a balancer 11 to transmit drive power of an elevator motor 10 thereto.
In FIG. 19, the carriage 6 is engaged with the belts 9 through metal connecting wares 12. A motor 13 for moving the base member 5 in directions shown by an arrow B is mounted on the carriage 6 by a mounting metal ware 14. A reference numeral 15 depicts a worm mounted on a shaft of the motor 13, 16 a worm wheel meshed with the worm 15, 17 a shaft for transmitting rotational force from the worm wheel 16 to a pulley 18 and 19 a toothed endless belt which meshes with the pulley 18 and a roller and has a portion fixed to the base member 5 by a belt mounting metal ware 22. A pair of parallel, lateral rails 20 each in the form of a rod are supported by the carriage 6 and engaged slidably with a slider 21 mounted on the base member 5. A reference numeral 23 depicts a motor for rotationally driving the inserting and retrieving mechanism 4 mounted on the base member 5 by a mounting metal ware 24 and a worm 25 engaged suitably with an end of a shaft of the motor 23 meshes with a worm wheel 26 rotatably supported by a bearing means 27 provided on the base member 5.
The worm wheel 26 is fixed to a frame 28 of the inserting and retrieving mechanism 4 so that it rotates together with the frame 28 around a rotation center A when the motor 23 is actuated.
In FIG. 18, a reference numeral 29 depicts a movable body having a slider (not shown) on a lower surface thereof and a mechanism for moving the movable body and a gripping mechanism 39 for the cartridge on an upper surface thereof. The slider is slidably engaged with a guide shaft 30 supported by the frame 28. A motor 31 is mounted on a bearing member 32 fixedly provided on the movable body 29 to move the movable body 29 along the rotation axis A. A reference numeral 33 is a bearing member mounted on the movable body 29, 34 a worm mounted on a shaft of the motor 31 and 35 a worm wheel mounted on one end portion of a synchroshaft 36 and meshed with the worm 34. Rollers 38 and pinions 37 are mounted on opposite ends of the synchroshaft 36, respectively. The rollers 38 are adapted to rotate in guide grooves 28c provided in both sides of the frame 28 for a smooth movement of the movable body 29 and the pinions 37 mesh with racks 28d provided in one sides of the guide grooves 28c. Therefore, the moving body 29 is possible to move with a fixed attitude by the rollers 38 which rotate while engaging with the guide grooves 28c and the guide shaft rod 30. A reference numeral 40 depicts a pair of vertically operable clampers for clamping the cartridge 1, 41 a support member, 43 a bearing member for mounting a motor 44, the clampers 40 and a cam shaft 42 being rotatably supported by the support member 41 and the bearing member 43, 45 and 46 gears for transmitting rotation of the motor 44 to the cam shaft 42 and 47 a compression spring for biasing the clampers 40 to close the latter. With the cam shaft 42 in the shown position, the clampers 40 are opened. When the cam shaft 42 rotates by 90 degree from the shown position, the clampers 40 is closed by an action of the spring 47 to hold the cartridge 1.
The clampers 40 can move through an opening 28b. A reference numeral 48 depicts stoppers which are resiliently supported by springs 49 to absorb mechanical shocks to be given to a front end of the cartridge when the clampers 40 engage therewith.
This apparatus serves to selectively derive any one of cartridges 1 stored in a stocker 1 and insert it into one of the recording and reproducing devices, or retrieve the cartridge from the recording and reproducing device and return it to its original position in the stocker.
Describing an operation thereof when one (1a) of the cartridges 1 shown in FIG. 17 is to be derived from the stocker 2 and supplied to one (3a) of the recording and reproducing devices 3, as an example, an instruction ordering a deriving the cartridge and an insertion thereof into the recording and reproducing device is supplied, upon which the motors 10, 13 and 23 are energized by a controller (not shown) so that an inlet opening 28a formed in a front face of the frame 28 of the inserting and retrieving mechanism 4 is aligned with the cartridge 1a in the stocker 2. When an alignment is achieved, the motor 44 is energized to rotate the cam shaft 42 to thereby open the clampers 40 against the spring 47. Then, the motor 31 is energized to advance the movable body 29 to a position in which the clampers 40 is enabled to clamp the cartridge 1a in the stocker 2 through the opening 28a. At this time, the position of the movable body 29 is sensed by a sensor (not shown) provided in a front portion of the frame 28. Then, the motor 44 is energized again to rotate the cam shaft 42 by 90 degree to close the clampers 40 to thereby grip a front edge portion of the cartridge 1a. Thereafter, the motor 31 is driven in a reverse direction to retrieve the movable body 29 together with the cartridge 1a along the guide grooves 28c of the frame 28. After the cartridge 1a is introduced into the grooves 28c, the frame 28 is rotated by 90 degree by the motor 23 in a direction ordered by an instruction for selecting either surface of the cartridge 1 and, simultaneously, the inserting and retrieving mechanism is moved by the motors 13 and 10 to a position in which an inlet opening 3b of the recording and reproducing device 3a is aligned with the cartridge inlet opening 28a of the frame 28. Then, the motor 31 is drived forwardly so that the clampers 40 are advanced until the stopping position thereof is sensed by the sensor (not shown) mounted on the frame 28 and the cartridge is inserted into the recording and reproducing device 3. When the insertion is completed, an insertion end signal is supplied to the recording and reproducing device 3, upon which the motor 44 is actuated to open the clampers 40 and, then, the motor 31 is actuated in the reverse direction to retrieve the movable body 29.
The cartridge 1a inserted is further pulled in to a position in the recording and reproducing device 3 by a pulling means (not shown) thereof. Upon a completion of recording or reproducing, the cartridge 1a is returned to the original position in the stocker 2 through an operation which is just reverse to that mentioned above.
FIGS. 20 and 21 are a side view and a front view of another conventional disc memory device such as disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 136367/1986, respectively, and FIG. 22 is an example of a scale sensor which provides a signal indicative of a vertical position of an inserting and retrieving mechanism.
In this conventional device, a cartridge 1 is inserted into the disc memory device by moving a slide table 115 to a front panel 24 of the disc memory device by means of a horizontal motor 119, and then inserting the cartridge into a cartridge inlet/outlet port 120 manually. When the cartridge 1 is received by a cartridge inlet/outlet mechanism 122, the latter pulls the cartridge 1 in the slide table 115 which is moved rearwardly by the motor 119. Then, a frame 128 is elevated by a vertical motor 112 to a position corresponding to the slide table 115 by means of a scale 14 and a scale sensor 25. Thereafter, clampers 111 pull the cartridge 1 in the frame 128 by a motor 110 mounted thereon.
After this operation, the frame 128 is moved to a shelf of the stocker or to an inlet of the recording and reproducing device 3 and stopped at an exact position by the scale 14 and the scale sensor 25. Then, the clampers 111 are moved to the shelf or the recording and reproducing device to insert the cartridge 1 held thereby into the device 3 or the shelf.
When the cartridge 1 in the shelf or the recording and reproducing device is to be discharged from the disc memory device, the operation is reversed.
A transportation of the cartridge 1 between the stocker and the recording and reproducing device 3 is performed by positioning the frame 128 at an exact position of the shelf or the inlet/outlet port of the recording and reproducing device, moving the clampers 111 to the cartridge 1 existing in that position to hold it, retrieving it and moving the carriage to a suitable position.
Since, in the conventional disc memory device, the cartridge inserting and retrieving mechanism is constituted in such the way as that the vertically arranged cartridge is held in both sides thereof by the clampers, a relatively large power is necessary to hold the cartridge, that is, a large motor is necessary. Further, in order to correct a positional deviation of the cartridge from a position in which a cartridge grasping operation of the clampers is performed correctly, it is necessary to regulate the stoppers at the time of the operation of the clampers. This requires a complicated structure of the gripping mechanism which is usually large in size, making a rapid motion thereof impossible.
In connection to this problem, there is another problem that, when the gripping mechanism which is being moved while holding the cartridge is stopped, the clampers tend to open due to inertia of the cartridge causing the latter to be dropped or deviated from a desired gripping position. Therefore, it is necessary to strictly hold the cartridge by another means which makes the whole device large in size.
Further, since, in the conventional device, the stop position of the frame is detected by a single sensor provided in a front edge of the frame for both cases of deriving the cartridge from the stocker and retrieving it from the recording and reproducing device, it is necessary to make a positional relation of the inserting and retrieving mechanism in the moving direction thereof to the stocker or the recording and reproducing device precise, otherwise, the cartridge may be inserted unreasonably when the inserting and retrieving is stopped closer to the stocker or the recording and reproducing device or can not be clamped when it s stopped far from the stocker or the recording and reproducing device. This requires complicated machining of various constitutional components of the whole mechanism. Further, it is necessary to increase the rigidity of the support members of the transportation mechanism and the stocker.
Further, when it is desired to replace a cartridge in a certain position in the disc memory device, for example, in the recording and reproducing device, with another cartridge, it is necessary to remove the former cartridge and thereafter to insert the new cartridge. Therefore, the number of steps required to complete such replacement of the cartridge in one position is considerably large and the replacement takes a considerably long time.